Modern kitchens always have a variety of small appliances for different purposes, which are convenient for making all kinds of food, bringing more convenience and diversity to our lives, among which ovens and air fryers are essential small appliances for many families.

However, too many small appliances can make the kitchen look messy, and buying it is not commonly used, which not only wastes money, but also brings problems to the family's storage. Therefore, many people always don't know which is more suitable for home use, air fryer or oven, when choosing an oven or an air fryer. Let's take a closer look at whether an air fryer or an oven is better? Which is more practical?

First, the principle of the oven and air fryer

1. Oven

The oven can be said to be a traditional kitchenware, and the current household is mainly based on electric ovens. The electric oven mainly uses the radiation emitted by the electric heating element to bake food, the temperature is generally between 250-0 °C, and can make roast chicken, bread, pastries, etc., which is a necessary kitchenware for baked goods.

2. Air fryer

An air fryer is actually a type of oven, which is actually a type of oven with a fan. The air fryer uses a fan to blow high-temperature air into the pan to heat the food, so that the hot air circulates in the air fryer, and uses the fat of the food itself to fry the food, so that the surface of the food becomes golden and crispy, which is similar to the effect of frying.

2. What is the difference between an air fryer and an oven

1. Principle

As mentioned earlier, the oven uses an electric heating tube to bake food directly, and due to the formation of a high-temperature environment in the confined space in the oven, the food is gradually cooked in the process of uniform heating.

The air fryer is based on the oven, with the addition of a fan, through the high-speed circulation of hot air, only a small amount of grease, or even no grease, can also achieve the effect of frying.

2. The effect of cooking

The oven can bake a variety of cooking effects, such as crispy, tender, etc. The air fryer basically has a golden crispy surface and a frying effect.

However, because the air fryer uses less oil, sometimes the fried food has a dry and hard taste, which is still different from the taste of fried food. Nowadays, many air fryers are equipped with water tanks, which can be added to prevent the ingredients from being over-baked and ensure a crispier texture.

3. Capacity

The capacity of the oven is usually relatively large, and the range of options is also relatively wide, from 10 liters to tens of liters, which can be selected according to your needs.

The capacity of the air fryer is relatively small, usually only a few liters, after all, it is suitable for people with a small family, or single people.

4. Function

The oven is relatively functional. In addition to baking cakes, breads, and biscuits, it can also be used as a fermentation box or sterilization cabinet.

The function of the air fryer is relatively simple, and it is basically used to make fried food.

5. Difficulty

The use of the oven is relatively complicated, such as the need to preheat before use, and when making baked goods, the steps of preliminary preparation are also more complicated, and the time wasted is more, which is more suitable for families with more time and strong hands-on ability.

The air fryer is much simpler, no need to preheat, just put the ingredients in it and start frying, simple and convenient, even a novice can easily get started.

6. Energy consumption

The cooking time of the oven is relatively long, and the capacity is relatively large, so the energy consumption is relatively high.

The air fryer has a relatively short cooking time and high thermal efficiency, so the energy consumption is relatively small.

7. Occupied space

The capacity of the oven is large, the volume is relatively large, and the space occupied is also relatively large. However, in recent years, built-in appliances have become very popular, and many mid-to-high-end ovens have built-in designs, which not only have a large capacity, but also do not take up too much space in the kitchen.

The air fryer is relatively small in size, takes up less space, and is lightweight, so it can also be stored in a cabinet when not in use.

8. Price

The price of the oven is also wide, the lowest price is only more than 100 yuan, and the price of high-end ovens ranges from several thousand yuan.

The price of an air fryer is not expensive, generally a few hundred yuan.

From the above introduction, we can see that the difference between an air fryer and an oven is still relatively large. Among them, the oven is rich in functions, but the cooking steps are more complicated, which is more suitable for families with plenty of time and strong hands-on ability.

Because the air fryer can achieve the effect of frying with only a small amount of fat or no fat, it is very consistent with the current concept of low-fat diet, so many people who advocate healthy eating like to use the air fryer.

Many families occasionally make some baked goods, or occasionally use air fryers to improve their lives, both ovens and air fryers, but worry about all kinds of small appliances piling up the kitchen.

At present, there is a micro-steaming, baking and frying machine on the market that integrates microwave oven, steamer, oven, air fryer and other functions, which can not only use the functions of microwave, steaming, baking and air frying alone, but also can use a variety of combination functions such as microwave + baking, microwave + air frying, etc., with richer taste and higher cooking efficiency, while taking up less space, which is very suitable for families with high budgets.